How to Stay Safe When Hiking at Night
Why go on a night hike? Even though it may seem counterintuitive to head out on the path after sundown, there are many benefits of a night hike. Even the most familiar track might seem like a novel adventure at night thanks to the night hike’s compelling sensory experience.
There are many strong reasons to hike in the dark-
- To see the countryside from a different angle and to feel deeply connected to nature.
- To escape the summer heat.
- Trekking under starry skies offers lots of chances to appreciate the universe and hone your night photography talents.
- You might come across nocturnal or crepuscular animals in the wild, such as bobcats, porcupines, or dive-bombing bats.
What to bring on a Night Hike?
Here are some ideas and resources to get you started on your after-dark adventures:
- Remember to pack the essentials for the trail: water, snacks, maps, and first aid supplies. Bring extra clothes, such as a hat and gloves, to protect yourself from the cold.
- Bring your best adventure headlamp with a red light setting so that you can rely on your natural night vision. Also, don’t forget to take additional batteries.
- Carry a few extra items to make your night hike more enjoyable, such as hiking snacks or a thermos of hot coffee.
- Pack a sky map and some astronomy binoculars to make the most of the opportunity to view the universe while hiking.
- With quality night vision goggles and scopes you can improve the night vision sights and see people, animals, and objects up to 1,000 yards away in darkness.
Hiking at night while using illumination and night vision
The key to enjoying a night trek is understanding when and how to use a flashlight or headlamp, as well as how to enhance your natural night vision.
Tips: Use the light of a full moon, leave before dusk, and start on a known track.
Plus, If you’ve never gone on a night trek, you might think that a brighter light is preferable for navigating the night. Bright flashlights and headlamps are useful for certain outdoor activities when maximum illumination is required, such as trail running or in emergency scenarios. Your night vision, however, will suffer from that glaring white light.
Instead of using your headlamp or flashlight all the time, learn to rely on the moon’s natural light. Your eyes will be able to adjust to the darkness and improve your night vision as a result, enabling you to see the scenery, wildlife, and starry skies more clearly.
The usage of a flashlight won’t have as much of an impact on your night vision if you can find one that has a red-light setting in addition to the regular white-light setting because your eyes are less sensitive to red light.
Allow your eyes some time to adjust to the light once you’re outside before starting out on the route. Your eyes may need up to 45 minutes to adjust adequately in some cases.
Avoid looking straight into any source of light because doing so will cause your night vision to reset, forcing you to start over. This implies that you should try your best to avoid looking at anyone who is using a flashlight while you are on the trail.
DOs and DON’Ts for Night Hiking
- DO your hiking on a well-known track. Always start on a trail you’ve already hiked a few times during the day.
- DO proceed cautiously. Slow down and soak in the moonlight scenery since rocks and roots can appear out of nowhere.
- NEVER go hiking alone.
- Bring a phone in case of emergency.
- AVOID veering too far off the path. In the dark, it’s simple to get lost, even in familiar settings. But if you do, keep track of familiar rocks or path signs to help you remember how to get back on course.
- DO inform someone of your destination.
Consider going on a hike at night if you want to develop an even stronger connection with nature and explore a familiar area from a different angle.
